A first visit at Holt Chiropractic runs about 30 to 45 minutes. You talk through your history with Dr. Jessica Coleman or Dr. Moriah Severance, you get a hands-on exam, and in most cases you leave with your first adjustment and a plan for what comes next. X-rays are ordered only when the exam gives a reason for them.
Almost nobody books a chiropractor because their week is going well. You are usually sore, a little wary, and unsure whether the appointment will help or just cost you an afternoon. Knowing the shape of the visit in advance takes most of that away.
“Dr really took her time to get to know me, and really spent a lot of time on my first visit. Much appreciated” - Kristy M. (Holt)
Below is the visit as it actually runs at our office on E Willoughby Road, from the moment you book to the plan you carry out the door. Our what to expect page is the short version of the same thing.
Booking, Hours and Finding the Office
Two ways in. Use our online booking page at any hour of the day, or call (517) 699-2646 during office hours and the front desk will find you a slot. We are accepting new patients.
The Holt office is open:
- Monday and Wednesday, 9am to 6pm
- Thursday, 2pm to 6pm
- Friday, 9am to 3pm
We are at 4573 E Willoughby Rd Suite B in Holt, a short drive for patients coming from Lansing, East Lansing, Okemos, Dewitt, Mason, Eaton Rapids, Grand Ledge, Charlotte and Dimondale.
If today is the bad day, say that on the phone. Same-day scheduling is often possible, and getting squeezed in is something patients mention about this office more than almost anything else.
“The whole office went above and beyond. They squeezed me in to a full scheduled day as a new patient to help me get some relief after 3 other chiropractors turned me away.” - C.A. S. (Holt)
The History You Give Before Anyone Touches You
Nothing happens on the table until the doctor understands the problem. She asks where it hurts, how long it has been going on, what makes it worse, what you have already tried, and which injuries and surgeries are in your past. Bring a list of what you take, prescription and over the counter both.
Then the questions widen out, because the sore spot is rarely where the story starts. Expect to be asked about your desk, your mattress, how you sleep, how much you move in an average week, and what you lift or carry. A tile floor job, a long daily commute, or a toddler who lives on one hip all leave a signature in the spine.
This is also your turn to ask. Patients who understand what is being done to them and why do better with it, and they are more satisfied with the care they receive, which is exactly what a randomized comparison of low back pain patients at UCLA found when it looked at what drove satisfaction.[1]
The Exam, and the X-Ray Decision
The physical exam follows the history. The doctor looks at how you stand and walk, measures how far you can turn and bend, and works along the spine by hand to find the joints that have stopped moving or are tender to press. Orthopedic and neurological testing gets added where your answers point that way.
Imaging is a decision, not a routine. We take X-rays when the exam or your history raises a question that pictures can answer, and not otherwise. A 2018 narrative review in Chiropractic and Manual Therapies reported no evidence that X-raying every new patient as a matter of course leads to better care or better outcomes.[2] When we do need them, digital X-rays are taken on site and the doctor puts the images up and shows you what she is looking at.
What the Adjustment Is Like
You stay dressed. You lie on a padded table and the doctor moves you into a position that puts one specific joint under tension, then delivers a quick, shallow thrust with her hands. The whole thing is over faster than you can brace for it, and the distance the joint travels is a couple of millimeters, not inches.
The noise is the part people flinch at. It is not bone and it is not damage. In 2015 a University of Alberta team filmed a finger joint inside an MRI scanner while it was pulled apart, and the crack turned out to be a gas cavity forming in the joint fluid as the surfaces separated.[3] Same event in your neck or lower back, same harmless physics.
You control the pace throughout. The doctor says what she is about to do, waits for you to agree, and adapts the technique to the patient in front of her, using gentler methods for children and during pregnancy.
“Dr.Jessica is awesome! She made me feel very comfortable, as this was my 1st time. She talked me through every movement she did, so nothing was a surprise.” - Lindsey L. (Holt)
Afterward, some patients feel looser walking out than they did walking in. Others feel a mild ache for a day, the sort that follows a workout you are not used to. That matches what the OUCH randomized trial recorded when it tracked side effects after chiropractic treatment: mostly short-lived stiffness or a temporary rise in soreness that resolved on its own.[4]
The Plan You Leave With
Before you go, the doctor tells you what she found, how often she wants to see you, roughly how long it should take, and what she expects you to do between visits. That last part is not filler. An adjustment restores motion to a stuck joint, but if the ten hour desk day stays exactly as it was, the joint gets stuck again.
Homework is specific and short: a movement break on a timer, a change to how your chair or pillow sits, one or two exercises, and sometimes nutrition, since Dr. Moriah Severance is a naturopathic doctor as well as a chiropractor. The American College of Physicians puts nondrug care, spinal manipulation included, ahead of medication as the first thing to try for low back pain, and self-care sits in the same recommendation.[5]
How fast things change is different for every patient, and the doctor tells you which to expect for your problem rather than promising a timeline she cannot see.
“I had gone to urgent care a week prior to my first visit. With no relief to major hip pain, i scheduled a consult. After only 1 treatment my hip pain was almost gone.. within a week I was playing softball again!” - Val K. (Holt)
More first-visit stories from our patients are worth ten minutes if you are still deciding.
Bring These, Ask These
Put four things in your bag:
- Photo ID and your insurance card
- A list of everything you take regularly, including vitamins and over the counter medicine
- Any imaging or records another provider has given you
- Clothes you can move in
And keep three questions in your pocket:
- What did my exam actually show?
- How many visits are we talking about before I should feel a change?
- What should I be doing at home between now and my next appointment?
The doctor covers all three unasked, but having them written down helps if nerves make the appointment go by in a blur.
When to Call Someone Else First
Chiropractic is not the right first call for everything, and we would rather say so than adjust you. Go to a medical doctor or an emergency room, not to us, if your back pain comes with any of the following:
- Numbness through the groin or inner thighs
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
- Fever alongside the pain
- Sudden weakness in a leg
When an exam or an X-ray turns up something outside our scope, we refer you on rather than treat around it.
When you are ready, book online, call (517) 699-2646, or send a note through our contact form. We work with most major insurances, and the front desk will confirm what your plan needs before you arrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a first visit at Holt Chiropractic take?
Plan on 30 to 45 minutes at our Holt office on E Willoughby Road. That window covers your health history, the physical exam, your first adjustment in most cases, and the few minutes at the end when the doctor walks you through the plan. Arriving a little early leaves room for paperwork.
Which doctor will I see at the Holt office?
Dr. Jessica Coleman, DC, or Dr. Moriah Severance, DC, ND. Dr. Moriah is Webster Certified and sees prenatal and pediatric patients at Holt. If you would rather see one of them than the other, say so when you book and we will schedule you with her.
Will I be adjusted on my first day?
Usually, yes. Once the exam is finished and the doctor has explained what she found, the adjustment normally happens at the same appointment. If a finding means waiting, such as imaging that needs to be read first, she tells you that before you leave and books the next step.
What does a chiropractic adjustment feel like?
Most people describe brief pressure rather than pain. The push is small and fast, and the pop you may hear is gas leaving the joint fluid, not bone. Mild soreness afterward, a bit like the day after a new workout, is the most common aftereffect and usually settles within a day.
Do I need a referral before booking?
Most plans let you book a chiropractor directly, although a few ask for a referral first. We work with most major insurances. Call (517) 699-2646 before your appointment and our front desk will check what your specific plan needs, so nothing catches you out on the day.
Do you take walk-in appointments?
At this time we do not typically accept walk-in appointments. However, if you call our office, we will do everything we can to accommodate a same-day appointment whenever possible. Scheduling ahead allows us to provide the appropriate amount of time for a thorough evaluation and treatment while minimizing your wait. If you’re experiencing back pain, neck pain, sciatica, or another musculoskeletal injury, we encourage you to contact us as soon as possible so we can help you find the earliest available appointment.
References
- Hertzman-Miller RP, Morgenstern H, Hurwitz EL, et al. Comparing the satisfaction of low back pain patients randomized to receive medical or chiropractic care: results from the UCLA low-back pain study. Am J Public Health. 2002;92(10):1628-1633. PubMed ↩
- Jenkins HJ, Downie AS, Moore CS, French SD. Current evidence for spinal X-ray use in the chiropractic profession: a narrative review. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies. 2018;26:48. PubMed ↩
- Kawchuk GN, Fryer J, Jaremko JL, Zeng H, Rowe L, Thompson R. Real-time visualization of joint cavitation. PLoS One. 2015;10(4):e0119470. PubMed ↩
- Walker BF, Hebert JJ, Stomski NJ, et al. Outcomes of usual chiropractic. The OUCH randomized controlled trial of adverse events. Spine. 2013;38(20):1723-1729. PubMed ↩
- Qaseem A, Wilt TJ, McLean RM, Forciea MA. Noninvasive treatments for acute, subacute, and chronic low back pain: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2017;166(7):514-530. PubMed ↩
